Ting! Tong!

The doorbell of Malhotra Mansion rang. 

"Nandini and Avneet is here maybe." Manik said, looking at the time.

"Go and open the door." Siddharth smiled. 

Manik walked to open the door. As soon as he opened the door, he found Nandini and Avneet were literally huffing standing outside.  

Manik was confused seeing them in that state. "Why are you both panting like this? What happened?"

Nandini and Avneet hurriedly came inside and closed the door. 

"Who's here, Manik?" Siddharth came out. He was also confused seeing them like that. He looked at Manik who shrugged his shoulders having no idea of what was happening. "Nandini! Avneet! What happened to both of you? Is there anything wrong?"

Avneet didn't say anything. She hugged Manik and started sobbing. Manik could feel her trembling too. He could see tears slipping from her eyes. Now he almost panicked seeing them in that state. "What happened, Avneet? Tell me." He softly caressed her hair.

"Manik bhai... I... We... Wh...." 

Avneet couldn't say anything. She was sobbing badly. Nandini was standing at one side quietly. She was scared too. She was thinking what if they couldn't run away from there, then what would have happened to both of them! The mere thought was enough to make her shiver like hell. 

"Bhai is here. Calm down." He patted her back trying to make her relax who was shivering till now.

Sid went close to Nandini. "Nandini, clear the matter. What's wrong? What happened? Why is Avneet so scared?"

"When we were coming here, we were crossing the road beside park, suddenly...." She narrated the whole incident to both of them.

"What!" Manik and Siddharth both shirked together hearing the whole scene. It was difficult for both of them to believe this.

"This happened in the road beside park! I can't believe this." Siddharth nodded not knowing what to say further.

Nandini sighed. "I know but it's the truth only. I also do not understand why such thing happened suddenly to a place like Windy Lane! There must be something huge behind this."

"Hmm!" Manik frowned. Whatever Nandini said, he was also thinking of the same matter. He had a feeling that all this didn't happen just like that, there must be someone behind this and the name he had in his mind, he didn't even want to think of it. "This same matter is making me think too and why would they want to kidnap you both all of a sudden in between thousand of girls around? On top of that they have dared to enter into a secured area like Windy Lane!"

"We'll think of this later. Now come inside and sit." Siddharth asked them to go inside. "Also I don't think we should say this to aunty right now. She would be worried."

They nodded and settled in the hall. 

"Nandini, go and meet mom else she would guess that there's something wrong that's why you didn't go to her."

Nandini nodded and inhaled a deep breath. She plastered a smile on her face after relaxing her nerves a little. "Mumma, we're here."

Neelima came out hearing Nandini's voice. "Finally you're here. The house feels empty without you." She kissed on Nandini's forehead who closed her eyes feeling the motherly warmth in the touch. "But why're you both so late?"

Avneet had clamed down till then too. "Aunty, I had college which ended late. That's why we got late."

"Okay. You both sit. I'll get coffee and snacks for you all. Today I have made Nandini's favorite sandwiches."

Avneet was talking to Siddharth. They are from same stream so she was clearing some confusion with his help, so they didn't even notice when Manik had taken Nandini away from there. Nandini was not expecting it too. She was about to ask Manik but he gestured her to be quiet.

When he stopped at his home, Nandini asked, "What happened, Mani? Why did you get me here like this?"

Without saying anything, Manik engulfed her in his arms holding her tightly. He didn't see her for almost two days which felt like eternity to him. Finally having her in his arms, he felt the missing piece of his heart was now on place. Nandini too hugged him back closing her eyes. She clutched the back of his shirt tightly. She had missed him too but the fear of losing him had empowered her thoughts.

When they pulled away from each other, Manik placed a soft on her forehead. "I don't know what to say. I'm not so strong to lose you, Nandini. Be safe, please. If not for yourself, then for me."

Nandini simply nodded her head with a smile on her face.

"Well did you see anyone's face?" Manik asked all of a sudden being serious.

Nandini nodded in no. "They had black masks on their faces."

Manik got lost in some thought and some frowns appeared on his face. Nandini noticed that. She stepped on his feet wrapping her one arm around Manik's neck and with other hand she creased the frowns from his forehead. Manik had held her securely by her waist. 

"Relax! Don't think so much. You're grumpy all the time from the start, now if you'll keep a poker face like this, then I won't have any other way than calling you grumpy head." Nandini muttered in a matter of fact tone making Manik chuckle. 

"Seriously! Grumpy Head! You can't certainly call your so handsome boyfriend with that name. That's not fair."

"It's enough. You don't have to praise yourself so much." Nandini made a huh face.

"And I am romantic too..." 

Nandini smiled sarcastically. "I know how romantic you're!"

Suddenly he held her by her waist tightly and pulled her more into him. Nandini's eyes went wide with his sudden act. She looked at his face with her bog doe eyes who was already looking at her with a smirk on his face.

"Manik! What're you doing? Leave me. Someone will come." Nandini tried to take a step back but Manik pulled her to him with a jerk again and placed his lips on hers sucking them lightly. 

Nandini closed her eyes feeling the sensation of the kiss. Her grip loosened on his shoulder and they went to his hair gripping them tightly. Manik's one hand cupped her cheeks while his other hand rested on her waist only sticking her to him.

AT  SOME  UNKNOWN  PLACE
The long road in the dark city was filled with dust as the big white car stopped in front of a almost broken house. Abandoned would be right word for this place. After getting out of the car, the people who were hiding behind those black clothes entered the house. 

There was a huge hall with a big light lit in the middle which made a round shaped shadow on the floor. The place was filled with darkness with various crushed things shattered around. In between a man was sitting there on a chair whose face was not clear due to the lack of light. He had a revolver in his one hand and his legs were resting on the table in front of him.

The goons stood a little away from the table. 

"Sir, those girl ran away bluffing us. We couldn't catch them just for a little!"

The man in front of them laughed dangerously. "Why am I paying you all then, if you can't even catch two little girls?" He roared suddenly. With that he pulled the trigger of the revolver and the sound of two shots were heard. Two of the people standing in front of him cried out and fell on the ground. The man in the dark laughed out loud. "How long? How long will you run away from me? One day you will have to be caught by me." The man seemed to blend in with the game of light and darkness again.

MANIK'S  PLACE

"And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70
And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Oh me I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am."

Everyone clapped loudly as Manik finished the song. All the while he was singing the song, his eyes didn't leave Nandini's sight even for a second and her mind could only think of the kiss which they shared a few minutes back. Manik was not sure she was blushing under his gaze or due to the effect of their kiss. But one thing which he was sure of that Nandini was looking beautiful enough to blow his mind. He could admit that in front of the whole world. 

"Wow, Manik! You sang better than other days. Is there anything special today?" Siddharth raised his eyebrows with a smirk on his face.

"Of course, there is." Manik kept his guitar beside him.

Nandini looked at him with wide eyes.

"And what's that, Manik bhai? Tell us too." Avneet joined Siddharth.

"Yes, Manik. Tell us. Then maybe we would be able to do works better with your tips." Siddharth had a goofy smile playing on his lips.

Manik sat straight between them. "Why do you think that I would share my secret with you two?" 

"Bhai, you can't do this to us!" Avneet cried in surprise.

"I can do this. Actually I'm doing this. Watch me."

They all laughed together and had a lot of fun whole evening trying to forget the bad incidents which occurred. It was around 9 in the night, the fireflies gathered in Manik's garden and they spread the light all around the dark garden. The fragrance of some flowers felt like drunken breeze.

In the meanwhile, a young woman walked out of the garden. Today the fragrance of the garden couldn't pull her. She was going to that which could give the peace to her when everything else failed. 

~~•°•~~
That's all for today. I hope you all enjoyed the part. Don't forget to vote and comment. I'll be waiting to hear your feedback.

11.06.2024